* Today in Black History - July 4 *
1776 - The Declaration of Independence is adopted. A section
written by Thomas Jefferson denouncing slavery is deleted.
1779 - Colonel Arent Schuyler De Puyster notes the presence of
"Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a handsome Negro, well-
educated and settled at Eschikagou." It is the first
recorded mention of "DuSable," who settled the area that
will become known as Chicago.
1827 - New York State abolishes slavery.
1845 - Edmonia "Wildfire" Lewis is born in Greenwich, New York.
After living with Chippewa relatives, she will enroll in
Oberlin College's preparatory and college program.
Changing her name to Mary Edmonia Lewis, she will travel
to Boston and abroad where she will become one of the most
outstanding sculptors of her day. Among her most famous
works will be "Forever Free," "Hagar in Her Despair in the
Wilderness" and "Death of Cleopatra." She will join the
ancestors on September 17, 1907 in London, England.
1875 - White Democrats kill several African Americans in terrorist
attacks in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
1881 - Tuskegee Institute opens in Tuskegee, Alabama, with Booker
T. Washington as its first president.
1892 - Arthur George Gaston is born in a log cabin, built by his
grandparents, former slaves, in Marengo County, Alabama,
near Demopolis. He will drop out of school after the
tenth grade and will become one of the most successful
proponents of Booker T. Washington's brand of capitalism.
A Washington disciple as a child, he will become a self-made
millionaire and one of the richest African American men in
America in the 1950s. His many businesses thrived on the
social separateness legislated by the Jim Crow laws in
segregated Alabama. He will make it his personal mission to
urge African Americans to seek "green power," a term he
remembered Washington using. His quiet role in the civil
rights movement will also be noted, saying once that
African Americans needed a Martin Luther King, Jr. of
economics to fire them up the way King had about integration.
He will make the following statement that sums up his
position on economic empowerment for people of color -- "It
doesn't do any good to arrive at first-class citizenship, if
you arrive broke." He will live to the age of 103, when he
joins the ancestors on January 19, 1996.
1910 - Jack Johnson knocks out James Jeffries in 15 rounds, ending
Jeffries' come-back try.
1938 - William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is born the youngest
of nine children in the coal mining town of Slab Fork,
West Virginia. He will become a Rhythm and Blues singer
and songwriter who will perform and record from the late
1960s until the mid 1980s. Some of his best-known songs
will include "Ain't No Sunshine," "Use Me," "Lean on Me",
"Grandma's Hands", and "Just the Two of Us".
1943 - Annette Beard (now Simmons) is born in Detroit, Michigan. She
will become a Rhythm & Blues and soul singer. She will best
known for her work with Motown and as an original member of
the singing group Martha and the Vandellas during the 1960s.
Distinguishing themselves from the two-lead format/traditional
girl group pop sound of The Marvelettes and the doo-wop
sensibilities of The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas will
employ a much rougher and sharper sound influenced by gospel.
The group's third hit, "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", will
further establish the group as recording stars. A third single,
"Quicksand", will continue that rise in late 1963. The
Vandellas' sound will be unique because of the difference in
sounds between the three women: with Reeves' brassy alto leading
the group, Rosalind Ashford Holmes will provide the high vocals
in her soprano voice while Beard will provide the lower vocals
in her contralto delivery making for an interesting and
commercial sound. But her rise to fame will be overshadowed by a
romance. Within a few months, she will announce she was engaged
and pregnant with her first child. Coming to grasp with wanting
to stay in the group but also wanting to have a life of a married
woman and mother, she will opt to leave the group in June, 1964.
Her last recording session with the group will be the "Jimmy
Mack / 3rd Finger Left Hand" session on June 18, 1964. As of
2011, she will be known as a member of the singing group The
Original Vandellas.
1944 - The 332nd Fighter Group flies its first mission in the P-51
Mustang aircraft, which is far superior to the P-40s it had
flown in the past.
1951 - Ralph Johnson is born in Los Angeles, California. He will become
a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He will be a
longstanding member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. During 1971
he successfully auditioned as a drummer for a band, led by a
Chicago musician known as Maurice White and called Earth, Wind &
Fire. With him in tow, the band will go on to achieve monumental
commercial and critical success. He will later go on to be
inducted as a member of Earth, Wind and Fire into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame during 2000. He will go on to perform as a
percussionist on Blue Magic's 1978 album "Message From The Magic"
and Stanley Turrentine's 1981 album "Tender Togetherness." As well,
he will work as a producer on The Temptations 1984 album "Truly For
You" and Howard Hewett's 2008 album "Howard Hewett Christmas."
1959 - The Cayman Islands, separated from Jamaica, becomes a
British Crown Colony.
1963 - Marian Anderson and Ralph Bunche receive the first Medals
of Freedom from President John F. Kennedy, the creator of
the award.
1970 - 100 persons are injured in racially motivated disturbances
in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
1981 - Safaree Lloyd Samuels is born in New York City, New York. He will
become a rapper, songwriter and television personality. He will be a
lso known as a solo artist, and will release four mixtapes. He will
start his musical career in the group the Hoodstars, formed in the
early 2000s with rappers Nicki Minaj, Lou$tar and Seven Up. In 2004,
the group will record the entrance song for WWE Diva Victoria, "Don't
Mess With", which was featured on the compilation album ThemeAddict:
WWE The Music, Vol.6. After the group disbands, Minaj will start her
solo career and he will support her as a hype man. In 2010, he will
co-write the single "Did It On'em" for Minaj's debut studio album,
"Pink Friday." In 2012, he will appear in Minaj's music video "Stupid
Hoe". In 2012, Minaj will release her second album, "Pink Friday:
Roman Reloaded," where he will have six writing credits and will be
featured on the track "Press Conference". In late 2014, he will end
his long relationship with Minaj. Several tracks on Minaj's third
album "The Pinkprint" will be believed to have been inspired by the
end of their relationship. In 2015, he will release the mixtapes, "
It Is What It Is" and "It Is What It Is, Vol. 2." In early 2016, he
make an appearance in the second season of "K. Michelle: My Life." In
May 2016, it will be announced that he will join the cast of VH1
reality show, "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood's" third season, which will
premiere in August 2016. In July 2016, he will release a new mixtape
titled "Real Yard Vibes." In August 2017, it will be announced that
he would compete in the first season of VH1's "Scared Famous," which
will premiere in October 2017. In February 2018, he will be honored
with a Blue & Bougie Impact Award.
1990 - "2 Live Crew" release "Banned in the USA"; the lyrics quote
"The Star Spangled Banner" & "The Gettysburg Address."
1991 - The National Civil Rights Museum officially opens at the
Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, the site of the
assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King,
Jr.
1994 - Rwandan Tutsi rebels seize control of most of their country's
capital, Kigali, and continue advancing on areas held by the
Hutu-led government.
2003 - Barry White, Rhythm & Blues balladeer, joins the ancestors
at the age of 58 after succumbing to complications of high
blood pressure, kidney disease and a mild stroke. His hits
included "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," "Babe" and "I've
Got So Much to Give."
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